Yeah - I know about the wiring kits. I prefer to solder them because crimp-on connectors can become loose over time and are the root of all evil in my opinion. I'll only use those when I need to disconnect and reconnect things. I'm not hacking any part of the car's original wiring, all the solder is going on between the wiring kit and the harness included with the stereo. I don't chop the wires too short so if need be they could be cut and resoldered to a different wiring kit in the future.

I'm used to stereos just being released from the front and sliding out, but it sounds like Honda has them attached with screws on the sides (so those panels have to be removed or something).

What sucks is this is a friend of a friend so I've never seen the car yet. I just want to minimize down time when he comes by.